| Laurell K. Hamilton |
Website Links For Laurell |
Information AboutLaurell K. Hamilton |
|
Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19 , 1963 ) is an American Horror and Science Fiction / Fantasy writer. She was born in Heber Springs, Arkansas but grew up in Sims, Indiana . Her mother was killed in a car crash in 1969 . Today Hamilton resides in St. Louis County, Missouri . Her principal work is the series, published by Penguin Group (USA) , originally under their Ace Books Imprint and now under Berkley Books . In 2000, she branched out and started the new Merry Gentry series about a fairy princess turned private investigator. Hamilton's writing is characterized by vivid prose, strong first-character viewpoint, and complex worldbuilding. Hamilton has been critized for the explicit violence and (in recent years) sex in her novels. Hamilton has cited her antagonism towards how people feel a woman "should" write and what topics are "correct" for a woman writer and/or female characters. Both sex and violence are often seen as things women are not suited to do or write about. Her writing style is unique enough (and successful enough) that some publishers have begun asking for 'Hamilton-esque' writers (such as Jim Butcher ), something Hamilton herself laments in the hardcover re-release of ''The Laughing Corpse''. HAMILTON AND GENRE The initial Anita Blake novels were usually classified as Alternate History (a subset of Science Fiction ), Fantasy , or Horror . They have also been termed "supernatural thrillers". They have been compared to Robert B. Parker and Steven King . The Merry Gentry series and later (post-2000) Anita Blake books have added sex to the mix, with the result that later books are sometimes shelved in Romance . Hamilton's choice to mix genre conventions is considered part of the 'Hamilton-esque' style. SEX AND CHANGE IN THE ANITA BLAKE SERIES Some fans of the earlier books are upset that the sexual content has significantly increased in the later books. Anita Blake is celibate during the first 5 novels. She has her first "on-screen" date in book 3 ( Circus Of The Damned ). Book 6 ( The Killing Dance ) has her first sexual encounter since the beginning of the series. Sex goes "off-screen" in book 7, returns on-screen in book 8, and off-screen in book 9. Beginning in book 10 ( Narcissus In Chains ), the sexual content increased significantly. Sadomasochism, Dominance And Submission , Multiple Concurrent Relationships , and Lycanthropic Sexual Fantasies are all explored. Previous sex scenes were explicit but rare. Some longtime readers are upset with the types of sexual relationships explored and/or the number of pages devoted to sex in the later books. In writing a series, the challenge is to keep people reading while keeping things the same. In that respect, the Anita Blake series has failed to keep things the same. In the early books, Anita considers mystery plot in half and postponed the rest to the next book because Anita's relationships don't leave room. COMPARISON OF THEMES IN MEREDITH GENTRY AND ANITA BLAKE NOVELS Appropriate expressions and uses of Power are explored through themes of Eroticism , Violence , life, and death. Meredith Gentry is a part-human, part- Fairy fertility Deity / Avatar . Among the powers she develope are calling forth blood from a target's wound of Blood , and or turning a target's body literally inside out of Flesh . She races against her cousin Cel to have a child before him. The first to produce an heir for the Queen of the Unseelie will gain the throne. Anita Blake is a professional Necromancer and licensed vampire executioner. At the series' beginning, her only power is to temporarily raise and control the dead (as Zombie s) and she uses this to procure a job raising the dead to settle wills and estates in dispute; however, she soon discovers that this ability also extends to control over the undead (vampires) as well. Subsequent books depict her manifestation of other powers as well. Both are strong feminine lead characters who more than hold their own with male characters in the balance of power. Both acquire and inspire loyalty in followers from multiple competing camps, and thus have a unifying effect. They act unhesitatingly and ruthlessly to protect their followers when threatened. Both experience unsettling growth in their powers as their series progress and are confronted with the issues of what will they use their powers for and how far will they go to protect their own. They also have fond, close relationships to their respective grandmothers, as well as share several resemblances in their physiques. (Pale, short, large-breasted and hair leaning toward dark. Anita's is black, whereas Meredith's is "blood-red" and often described as almost dark.) PUBLISHED WORKS Anita Blake series # '' # '' # '' # '' # '' # ''The Killing Dance'' ( # ''Burnt Offerings'' ( # ''Blue Moon'' ( # ''Obsidian Butterfly'' ( # ''Narcissus in Chains'' ( # ''Cerulean Sins'' ( # ''Incubus Dreams'' ( # ''Micah'' ( (released February 28, 2006) # ''Danse Macabre'' (2006) (To be released on June 27, 2006) Meredith Gentry series #''A Kiss of Shadows'' #''A Caress of Twilight'' #''Seduced by Moonlight'' #''A Stroke Of Midnight'' #''Mistral's Kiss'' (December 2006) Others
EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|